Will the All Blacks find their winning form this autumn?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an interesting juncture.
Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the coming month but, quite aside from the chance to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to assess the improvement of the squad under a leader now 24 months into from beginning his tenure.
Present Difficulties
Doubts over a lack of an identifiable style, enduring debates over team picks and leavings from the coaching ticket have all fueled the perception that the most famous squad in the rugby is now one in a state of flux.
Most pertinently, it is the decline in performances from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to speculate that we have moved out of the era of New Zealand dominance.
Past Performance
Ahead of their departure for the European tour, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will meet the Springboks in a warm-weather tour called 'a unique competition'.
In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what promoters have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.
During the last decade, the South African team have claimed a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be regarded as the team of their generation.
The All Blacks have maintained to beat Ireland when it counts most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, been defeated in just a couple of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have overcome the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.
Shifting Balance
But the decline of their standing as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.
Although the All Blacks excelled through the previous decade - securing 87% of their international games, as well as claiming the global trophy on several instances - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape changed in the world sport.
New Zealand beat South Africa in their first game of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.
After that event, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of last year, have achieved victory at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions.
Direct Competition
During the same period, the 'Boks have won five of the seven meetings between the opponents, comprising victory in the 2023 World Cup final.
While securing their most recent continental championship, the Springboks delivered a historic loss on the New Zealand team courtesy of dominant performance in their home ground, a result which has triggered another round of discussion concerning the progress of the team under their leader.
Possibly most concerning for fans of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their traditional strength, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more commonly connected with their opposition team.
Style Evolution
During the period when the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities a decade past, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of shredding opponents from all areas of the playing surface and at any point of the contest.
Now, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as their leader, who has handed out multiple new players during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the basic foundations of a successful side.
It has already been confirmed that the backroom staff member responsible for offense, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, becoming the next individual of management team to leave after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just five Tests.
Performance Gap
It was not merely Robertson's success, but his style, that was predicted to translate from his former team when he took over after the global competition but, to date, the two aspects continue to be a continuous improvement.
Business Factors
When private equity firm investors bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the ensuing statement mentioned the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the brand.
That goal has maybe been more difficult by the absence of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of Barrett brothers remain household names in the sport, but the spread of stars has expanded significantly. The captain is the single New Zealand player to earn international honors in the past six seasons, in contrast to ten awards in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.
International Growth
Alternatively, efforts have been implemented to introduce the New Zealand team into new territories.
The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a revisit to the location where Ireland achieved a historic win in the match during past tours.
Following the easing of health protocols, the New Zealand team have furthermore
